Never Let Go
by ChoCedric
Summary: This is the story of the last stand of Frank and Alice Longbottom. May their sacrifice be honored, and may their bravery be remembered. Forever.


Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

Author's Note: This piece is going to take a lot out of me, I can just tell. But I've always wanted to write something like this about the Longbottoms, and for the longest time, I just couldn't find the words. But after a lot of thinking, this came to me.

As you'll be able to see, there are a lot of feelings of intense regret which I try to show in this story. The actual idea for this came about because of something that actually happened to me back on Friday, October 4, 2002. I'd gotten in a huge argument with my brother the night before, and we'd both hung up the phone in anger. On that Friday, starting in the middle of the day, I got a horrible gut feeling that I'd made a terrible mistake. I don't know how I knew, but I knew that something was going to happen to him. At exactly 8 PM that evening, the sky opened, and no, it didn't just rain. IT POURED. And that was when I had absolutely no doubt in my mind. The rain didn't let up for hours and it mirrored exactly what I was feeling. It was the weirdest thing in the world, because I found out the next day that 8:00 PM was precisely when something bad HAD happened to him.

Fortunately, though, we got a happy ending. It took a few days but everything finally worked out, and he ended up being fine. But I've since learned never to end a conversation in anger and to cherish every moment you have with the people you love. And of course, the relationship between Frank and Alice here is absolutely nothing like the relationship my brother and I share, but the basis for this story came from that experience. And also, our poor Longbottoms didn't get such a happy ending, did they?

Please let me know what you think of this story.

Never Let Go

By: ChoCedric

It was November 4, 1981, at about 7:50 in the evening. If one was to look at the sky, they would see heavy, black clouds punctuating the atmosphere, and it looked as though it were about to rain any moment. And once it started, it would never, ever stop.

Frank Longbottom sighed heavily as he leaned back in an armchair in the Longbottom residence. Alice had just put Neville to bed, and she was sitting on the couch that was located next to the armchair. On the mantelpiece were many pictures. One of them was of Frank and Alice's wedding day, him in his Tuxedo and Alice looking radiant in her bright white wedding dress. Others showed them back in their Hogwarts days while the two had been dating, and yet others showed a little boy with Alice's round face and Frank's hair. It was Neville, their Neville.

Frank couldn't possibly explain it, but ever since about 12:30 this afternoon, he'd had a terrible feeling in his gut. He'd tried to play it off as just paranoia, for it hadn't been that long ago that he and Alice had been frightened to even turn a corner, for they were always expecting attack. After all, it had only been four days ago that the war had been raging full swing, and the world had been crumbling down around their feet.

But everything had changed when the news had come, the news that would once again rock the foundations of the world they lived in to its core. The war was over. Voldemort had been defeated. And by a little boy, no less, a tiny fifteen-month-old boy by the name of Harry James Potter. Voldemort had killed his parents, but for some unexplainable reason, he hadn't been able to touch little Harry.

And just like that, it was over. All the heartache, all the bloodshed, all the lives cut short ... everything ... it was over, all over. They were safe. Neville was safe. The Fidelius Charm which had been cast on them, with Frank's mother Augusta acting as their Secret-Keeper, had been lifted. There was no more reason to worry. Things should go back to normal now, right?

Wrong. Just because the war was over didn't mean everything was all right. No one who hasn't been through a war would know, but it causes such devastation that much needs to be done even when it is said to have ended.

As Frank continued to sit in his armchair, with his heart continuing to beat a quick, steady BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM in his ears, he reflected on what was the saddest thing of all. This was the fact that he and his wife Alice hadn't been able to look at each other in the face for months, and they couldn't have a proper conversation without bellowing themselves hoarse at each other.

Yes, not only did war tear people away from their loved ones, killing some and leaving others alive, but it tore apart families and marriages who were still even together. At work, at Order meetings, at other functions, Frank and Alice Longbottom were the perfect couple. But at home, they were completely the opposite. The war was destroying their marriage from the inside out, ripping it to shreds.

It had all started hours after Dumbledore had revealed the prophecy to both of them. Neville had been tucked up in his cot, and the two young parents had been sitting on the very couch that Alice was sitting on now. Neither of them had known what to do - after all, they were two terribly, terribly young people living in a damaged, war-torn world. In the simplest of terms, they were two children with a child of their own.

It had been Alice who had made the suggestion to just take Neville and get the hell out, to just leave the country, leave it all behind and hope that their friends could end the fighting. Frank, his face full of shock, announced that he was not going to run like a coward. He refused to just give up when the world needed fighters to make it a better place for their children and for their children's children.

And that fight had been ongoing as the war grew progressively worse and worse and everyone they knew started dying around them. Alice, who was an Auror just like Frank, showed her strength and her bravery on the field, but at home, she crumbled. She just wanted to leave this up to everyone else and just escape with Frank and Neville to safety.

And then, everything started going to Hell when Order members started being picked off one by one. Frank would never forget the day when he and Alice had been called to investigate a murder, and they'd found one of their own, Benjy Fenwick, blown to bits at the bottom of his stairs. A few months later Caradoc Dearborn disappeared and was never seen again. Even though his body had never been discovered, there was no doubt in Frank's mind that he was dead. There was also a good reason why he, of all people, would have been taken - he was an Unspeakable at the Department of Mysteries, and the enemy would want information from him.

The worst fight Frank and Alice had ever had was on the day that they'd lost Dorcas Meadowes. Dorcas, one of the bravest and most resilient women they had ever known, had died in the arms of her fiance, Fabian Prewett, at St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, only hours before their wedding was scheduled to take place. It was on that day that hope had seemed to be lost for good.

"Don't you see it now, Frank?" Alice had screamed at him that night, her blue eyes blazing with fire. "We have to get the hell away from this! Don't you see what this war is doing, Frank! It's destroying us! Aren't you thinking about Neville at all? We have to go, we have to leave! I-I can't stay here anymore!"

"I'm not a coward, Alice, not like you!" Frank had screamed back, his grief for Dorcas and Fabian's ruined wedding and the other lives that had been lost transforming into white-hot rage. "YOU might not want to fight to make this world a better place for Neville, but I DO!"

Alice had then stared at Frank with a truly fierce gaze, and the words that had escaped her mouth still haunted him to this day.

"Fuck you, then, Frank! Fuck this war, and FUCK YOU!"

And minutes later, Alice and Frank had participated in the most violent, unromantic lovemaking the two had ever experienced. No, neither of them were gentle at all; the stress and grief had been breaking both of them apart. Frank recalled that alice had had tears streaming down her face the entire time.

And since that day, neither one of them could properly look at the other. Frank wondered whether Neville subconsciously knew that his mummy and daddy weren't getting along. Frank sadly reflected back on their wedding day, when the two of them had been so blissfully happy. It just goes to show what war can do, he reflected miserably.

But now, it had been four days since all the devastation had ended, and Frank wondered whether there was any possibility that his and Alice's marriage could be saved. Sometimes he caught her looking at him with the same sad expression he knew was reflected in his own eyes. He couldn't help but feel that there was still hope for them, because he could still sense that there was chemistry there. He hoped the love hadn't died on her end, because no, it had never died on his. He still loved her, loved her so fiercely that he would do anything, anything to protect her and their son.

Frank didn't know what possessed him to do this, but at that moment, he stared at the clock on the mantelpiece again. 7:56 PM. He then realized that his heart had sped up, and his hands were beginning to go clammy. As much as he tried to think that this bad feeling he'd had almost all day was down to paranoia, he just couldn't seem to shake it off.

"Alice?" he said suddenly, hoarsely, as he stared at his wife sitting on the couch.

"What is it, Frank?" Alice asked, her voice soft.

"I don't feel right." Frank admitted. "Alice ... something bad's going to happen. I can just tell."

Alice looked at him for a moment, her face bewildered. "Don't be silly," she said finally. "The war's over, remember?"

"I know," Frank sighed. "But Alice ... we're Aurors. Aurors don't deny their instincts."

And he left the room, knowing with crystal clear certainty that he had to do something. And that something was to protect his son.

He ran to his and Alice's room and opened a drawer, grabbing an Invisibility Cloak from inside it. He then went into Neville's room, where he was fast asleep in his crib. Careful not to disturb him, he covered him with the cloak and cast a Disillusionment Charm and a Silencing Charm over him for extra protection. Before Neville disappeared from view, he took one last look at him - God, he didn't know what was going to happen tonight, but all he knew was that his Neville would be protected, even if it was the last thing Frank would ever do.

And then, he was walking back into the living room, and was once again staring at the clock on the mantelpiece.

7:59 and 45 seconds.

And his eyes were riveted there, watching the seconds pass. 7:59:46 ... 7:59:47 ... 7:59:48 ...

"Frank?"

7:59:49 ... 7:59:50 ... 7:59:51 ...

"Yes, Alice?" Frank asked, his head starting to spin, his heart beating faster than it ever had before in his life.

"You look terrible. What's going on?"

7:59:52 ... 7:59:53 ... 7:59:54 ...

"Just be ready, Alice. Something's about to happen. But Neville's safe."

7:59:55 ... 7:59:56 ... 7:59:57 ...

"Frank, what are you talking ..."

7:59:58 ... 7:59:59 ...

8:00:00.

At that exact moment the sky opened, and the black clouds let out all of their condensation in one great shower.

And that wasn't the only thing that happened at that moment.

BANG!

The front door was suddenly blasted off its hinges. The sound was so loud and deafening that Frank, who had been preparing himself for the worst, jumped out of his skin.

He and Alice ran out into the hallway, and they were met by a truly horrible sight. Standing in their hallway were four hooded, masked figures.

"Well, well, well," cackled a woman's voice, and Frank knew it all too well. "Look what we have here."

"Bellatrix," Frank spat as he stared at her, immediately raising his wand. Next to him, Alice did the same.

"Don't forget me, I'm here too," said a man's voice in a deep, terrible growl, causing the third figure, also a man, to laugh.

"Don't worry, Rodolphus, Rabastan, your presence will be acknowledged," grinned Bellatrix.

"And I'm here to have some fun too!" chortled the fourth figure. He was also masked, but the straw-colored hair somehow looked extremely familiar. Frank knew the voice too, but for some reason, he couldn't place it as of now.

EXPELLIARMUS!" Frank screamed, aiming his wand at Bellatrix. The spell was easily deflected.

And with that, the fight truly started. It was four against two, but for minutes on end, Alice and Frank held their own. If you were to look outside, you'd still see the rain pouring down, unrelenting and powerful. People could easily say it was one of the worst rainstorms that had been seen in months.

The fight took them out of the hallway and into the living room. The spells were so powerful that they knocked vases of flowers off the tables, caused pillows from the couch to burst into feathery, fluffy balls, and caused photos to smash on the floor from the mantelpiece.

"CRUCIO!"

Frank turned his head quickly and saw with horror that Alice had not been quick enough to dodge the spell that had been thrown at her by the fourth figure, the man with the straw-colored hair. She fell to the ground, writhing and screaming in agony.

And it was then that Frank made the one mistake he'd been taught in Auror training was a firm no-no. He lost track of the duel, the only sound registering in his mind being that of his wife's piercing screams.

And moments later, he'd landed himself on the ground too, the same spell being cast on him by Bellatrix. Both husband and wife, the people who many said were the best damn Aurors in the entire Ministry, were both screaming like there was no tomorrow.

And then, it was over. Frank and Alice lay on the ground. They tried to move, but realized to their horror that they'd been tied up during their torture. Thick ropes bound their hands and feet together and they just couldn't move, no matter how hard they tried.

"Now, then, fearless Aurors," Bellatrix grinned as she leered down at them. "We have a question for you."

"And if you cooperate with us, we'll let you go." said the man with the fierce growl in his voice.

"Liars," Alice choked out from next to Frank. "You'll never let us go! NEVER!"

"Oh, we beg to differ," said the straw-haired man. Frank noticed that he sounded incredibly young. "We just wish for you to tell us where the Dark Lord is, and we promise we won't harm you if you promise us in return that you'll divulge the information."

Frank was shocked. "How the fuck would we know where your filthy Master is?" he managed to snarl. "Or is it ... oh, you're in denial, aren't you? Voldemort is DEAD! He was defeated by a baby and now he's rotting in the ground somewhere. Good riddance," he spat.

Bellatrix stepped forward, her face a picture of complete hatred and rage. "Wrong answer, Longbottom." she said acidly as she pointed her wand right at Alice. "If you don't tell us where the Dark Lord is this instant, you will see your wife suffer!"

And it was at that moment that Frank knew, and he felt the most intense regret he ever had in his life. He and Alice were going to die. They were both going to die and there was nothing, absolutely nothing, he could do about it. And Alice ... oh, God, Alice. He'd spent months fighting with her, bellowing himself hoarse at her, going through complete hell with her. And to this day he'd never, ever told her he was sorry, sorry for everything he'd said, everything he'd done which had torn their marriage to pieces. If he could do those months over again, he would. He would have gone with Alice and Neville, escaped anywhere, because he realized now that there was nothing he wouldn't do to make Alice happy.

He knew it was hopeless, knew this was his last stand, but through these last seconds, he would try to convey to Alice that he still loved her, that he immensely regretted these last few months.

"I'm telling you, you evil bitch!" he screamed at Bellatrix. "Your filthy master's rotting in the ground, burning in Hell for what he's done. And it won't be long before you join him!"

"Ding-ding-ding, wrong answer," Bellatrix cackled, mocking one of those silly Muggle game shows with a sick, twisted smile. "CRUCIO!"

And Frank felt his heart tear in two as he listened to his beautiful, brave Alice, who had looked so radiant on their wedding day, who had even looked phenomenal when she was angry, scream and scream and scream. He struggled in his bonds, yelling apologies over and over again, and he hoped she realized that he wasn't just sorry for what was happening to her now. He was sorry for everything in the past as well.

Finally, Bellatrix lifted the spell from Alice, and now all four Death Eaters were staring at the helpless couple.

"I'm sorry, Alice," Frank gasped out. "Merlin, I'm ... I'm so sorry."

Alice struggled to look at him, but when her eyes finally met his, he knew she understood everything that he was apologizing for. As she gazed at him, the love reflected in her eyes was unmistakable. "Frank ..." she said softly, her voice hoarse from all the screaming. "It's okay. No matter what happens ... I love you. I'll always love you."

And even in the predicament that Frank was in at this moment, he still felt a wild joy erupt in him. God, how tragic it was to know that it had taken this for the couple to realize that their relationship was salvageable, but God, the fact that it was indeed salvageable ... For the first time all day, he smiled softly at her. The smile didn't even fade when Bellatrix cackled and said something disparaging. At that moment Frank and Alice Longbottom only had eyes for each other.

His world only came back into focus again when the couple realized that two wands were being pointed at each of them. All four Death Eaters were lined up, and Frank knew that they were ready to finish them off. "Any last words, blood traitors?" asked the straw-haired man.

And Frank, never taking his eyes off of Alice, said bravely, "You'll get what's coming to you eventually. No more families will you rip apart. No more marriages will you end. No more children will you hurt. You may think you're wonderful now, because you're able to finish off the Longbottoms. But you can rest assured that soon enough, you'll be back with your master again, and it'll be because you've joined him in death."

And as the four Death Eaters pointed their wands, Frank closed his eyes, and in those last few seconds before the blow fell, he saw the future. He saw Neville as he grew up, being told by many that his parents had loved him more than life itself. He saw him getting on the Hogwarts Express at eleven. He saw him making friends with many, smiling in the exact same way he remembered Alice doing. He saw him as a grown man on his own wedding day, never having to look over his shoulder for fear of attack. Don't ever forget, Mummy and Daddy love you, Neville, he thought silently. And in the end ... in the end, they realized that they still loved each other, too.

"CRUCIO!"

Hours later, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Alastor Mad-Eye Moody, and Hestia Jones found Frank and Alice Longbottom lying on the floor of their living room. They were so still that at first, all three thought they were dead. But they came to realize that their fates were much worse; death would have been a blessed relief. Instead, their minds were shattered beyond all comprehension. And later still, Augusta Longbottom opened her door and found Kingsley on her doorstep, and he relayed the terrible news.

And even later still, Augusta went to St. Mungo's to see them. They were both lying in bed with vacant expressions on their faces, and it was the saddest and most tragic thing she had ever seen.

But there was one consolation she had, and that she'd never forget. Frank and Alice's eyes now never focused on anything, except one.

Each other.

Augusta had known about the deep trouble in paradise that they had been experiencing over the war, but she somehow knew that when it came down to it ... when it came down to the final minutes, the final seconds ... they had never let go of the love they'd had for each other.

It was still reflected in their eyes.


End file.
